Discuss Fall Foliage in Vermont, when to come, where to stay, where to take a tour etc. Note: You must be registered in order to post. If you have trouble registering, use the contact us form on Scenes of Vermont's home page.

I enjoy landscape photography as a hobby, and have done it for 20 years. I live in Massachusetts, but grew up in southern VT and NH in the Connecticut River Valley. My first efforts at photography were shooting autumn in Vermont, because I would stay with my parents who lived in the area. For various reasons, I haven't photographed autumn in Vermont for 10 years. In 2017, I decided it was time to return to my Vermont roots for autumn. Unfortunately, I went to the NEK from 10/1/17 thru 10/3/17 and everything was either green or brown, and I gave up.

Undaunted, I plotted a return to the NEK for 2018, armed with Carol and Andy's excellent photography guide book. Both Carol and ctyanky predicted that great color would return in 2018, and were they ever right I know many people were disappointed that we had so many rainy and cloudy days in 2018, but from a photographer's perspective, that just means the colors are more saturated, and the waterfalls have nice flow.

I was in the NEK from 10/03/18 through 10/09/18, and hit the peak of color just right this year. Oddly enough, of the 7 mornings that I was in the NEK, I had 3 sunny sunrises, and 2 sunny sunsets. As usually happens, most of my best images were made during brief windows of time when the light and weather offered extraordinary conditions. I had two great sunrises at Marshfield Pond (one with minnestotaman in attendance), and one of the most amazing sunrises that I have ever seen at Jobs Pond on 10/06. Nicholls Ledge was on my list for sunset, and on 10/09, my last night in VT, I enjoyed a spectacular sunset there. During the rest of my trip, I shot more waterfalls and foggy trees than I know what to do with I also prefer natural landscapes with no man-made elements, but even I couldn't resist shooting some Vermont barns and farms.

I want to thank everyone on this forum for helping to create a wonderful resource about autumn in Vermont. The advice and help distributed here is the best around !!! I met several of you while on my travels this year, and it was a pleasure. Standupphotog - consider yourself extremely lucky to have been at Jobs Pond on 10/06, mornings like that don't happen very often.

Ed: I am simply awestruck by these exquisite Vermont foliage photos. All I can say is wow, wow, wow. I am so happy for you to have found such peak and beauty during your trip and that you came back to find it again, after your disappointment last year. I actually think Vermont peak found you!

I was looking at these during my PT appt and couldn't wait to get home and see them on my computer. I am so excited for our trip on Sunday and to see you in your "element". It is going to be a perfect fall day! Maybe I'll even learn something more about photography from you!

Again, congratulations on these very fine photos. Outstanding is the word I choose. That's it in a nutshell. CT

Great photos, Ed. Thanks for reminding me about Nichol's Ledge. I couldn't remember the name of it. I'd wanted to go there. Oh well, next year, I guess. Was it difficult navigating your way down from there in the dark after sunset?

MinnieB wrote:Great photos, Ed. Thanks for reminding me about Nichol's Ledge. I couldn't remember the name of it. I'd wanted to go there. Oh well, next year, I guess. Was it difficult navigating your way down from there in the dark after sunset?

Oh yeah, it was a ton of fun going back down in the dark. Even with a powerful flashlight and walking with another photographer with a headlamp, I nearly killed myself several times, wet leaves, rocks, and roots are awful when you are going almost straight down.

Andy wrote:Ed: is the quote from Arnold Schwartzeneger or Arnold Kaplan???

Andy the quote is what the Terminator would have said if he had read Arnold Kaplan's book and then followed his advice

Speaking of which, I have to give a hearty endorsement to the Vermont autumn book by you and Carol, it is a tremendous resource, whether you are a photographer or a leaf peeper. It led me to some places I never would have found on my own. My only request is for the 3rd Edition that you provide GPS coordinates for Kaplan's tripod holes